Last Act
by Jadee
Summary: Mumbo Jumbo is back in town and making the Titans miserable. After Starfire appears to vanish, it’s up to the others to find her and restore peace to Jump City. Meanwhile, romance blooms between Robin and Raven. Will their love flourish or go up in smoke?
1. First Signs

**Last Act**

**Chapter 1 – First Signs**

It was already 11:30 in the morning when Robin awoke to find the sun beating down on him relentlessly, making him feel like he was in the Sahara desert during a warm spell. He had been up half the night investigating a dead end anonymous tip regarding a line of abductions, and when he tried to get to sleep, he found his efforts futile, his mind hopelessly full of a jumble of thoughts that threatened to keep him up all night. When Robin had finally fallen into a light, dreamless sleep, the sun was already minutes away from rising.

Robin looked through half-opened eyes to his window, and found that he had left his drapes wide open all night. He hated when he did that. He could never shake the feeling that just maybe someone was looking in at him, watching his every move, and he would never know. Slade could be perched on top of any given skyscraper, staring at him right then through a telescope… Alright, perhaps that was just a _touch_ paranoid, but hey, you can never be too careful.

Jump City was experiencing sweltering weather for mid-June, and needless to say, Robin didn't enjoy the heat. After all, it's hard to combat crime when you're busy fighting dehydration. However, there was certainly an upside to the current weather. The crime rate was always slower when the temperature reached triple digits. Whether the criminals were just waiting until the weather made their activities more convenient or if they actually took vacation, Robin certainly wasn't complaining.

He was distracted from his thoughts by a loud, nagging growl from his stomach. He hopped out of bed and opened the door to his room, grateful for the wave of cool air that greeted him. He inhaled deeply. 'Time to start the day,' he thought to himself, just before succumbing to a gigantic yawn that practically dislocated his jaw. 'Or maybe I should just stay in bed…'

It was nearing noon by the time Robin had fixed his hair to his liking and arrived in the kitchen for some food.

"Good mornin,' sleepy head! Finally decided to grace us with your presence?" Cyborg grinned in between bites of cold pizza as his leader stumbled into the room. The cybernetic teen was perched on one of the barstools at the table, several magazines spread out in front of him.

"Yep," said Robin with a lazy yawn. Despite the late hour, Robin was feeling quite lethargic, having received only a few hours of sleep. "Where is everyone?" he asked.

Cyborg finished chewing before he replied, "BB and Rae are in the training room, last I heard. And I haven't seen Star this morning. Kinda figured she was with you," he shrugged. "Have ya seen her?"

"If I had I wouldn't have asked you where she was, would I?" Robin snapped.

Cy returned to his pizza. "Someone's a little cranky," he commented, not entirely surprised at his leader's behavior. Robin wasn't known for being even remotely personable until he had imbibed several cups of coffee.

"I'm not cranky, it's just early," Robin retorted, sauntering over to the fridge. He opened it, looked through it a bit, and sighed, closing the door loudly. "How come we never have anything good?" he complained under his breath.

"Well if you want to go shopping for groceries, be my guest."

"You're too kind," Robin grumbled. He moved over to his coffee pot, filling it carefully with water and starting it up. He tapped his foot impatiently while the contraption worked.

Robin polished off his first cup of hot coffee within seconds of it being produced, refilling the mug to the brim before leaving the kitchen.

Robin decided to walk by Starfire's room out of curiosity. It was very strange for the bubbly alien girl to still be asleep after noon. She was almost always fully awake and cheerful when everyone else, still half asleep, rose grudgingly to greet the day, and they had become accustomed to finding some fresh (or not quite so fresh) Tamaranean delicacy prepared for them by Starfire for breakfast. Granted, she often ended up consuming the whole thing herself when her teammates offered half-baked excuses as to why they couldn't partake in her delicious cooking that day, but never did she even consider stopping. Perhaps that why Robin was so fond of her. Her kindness and refreshing naiveté made their friendship invaluable to him.

Lost in thought, he eventually made his way down the hallways and corridors that led to Starfire's room. "Star?" Robin quietly called out, softly tapping on her bedroom door. There was no answer. 'Maybe she _is_ still sleeping,' he thought with a shrug.

The Tower's alarm suddenly sounded, and Robin tensed instinctively. Red lights flashed in every room. Well, if Starfire wasn't already awake, she certainly would be now. Robin finished downing his coffee and sprinted back down the hallway as if on autopilot, winding through the halls toward the Operations Room. He quickly opened the electronic door to the Ops. Room, and almost ran face-first into Cyborg.

"What's the trouble?" he asked his friend, stopping short to avoid a painful collision with his mostly metal friend.

"Dunno, but the alarm was set off from the training room. C'mon!" Cyborg replied, stepping past his leader and drawing out his sonic cannon, just in case he might need it when they arrived at their destination.

The teens dashed into the training room. They were just in time to see an extremely angry Raven, hovering six feet from the ground, hurl a dumbbell at Beast Boy's head. The doomed changeling agilely dodged to the left, narrowly avoiding a very painful encounter.

"Guys, help! Raven's gone mad! She's gunna kill me!" he desperately pleaded, sliding to the floor to escape being caught in the chest by another weight.

Robin sighed. "So you tripped the alarm, Beast Boy? You know it's only for emergencies."

"Hello! This IS an emergency! Make her stop! Make her stop!" the poor green teen yelled, dashing behind Cyborg for protection.

"Raven! What's going on?" Robin demanded.

"You green idiot! I'm going to boil you alive and feed your corpse to a shark!" Raven growled, ignoring her leader's question.

Cyborg shut off the blaring alarm from a controller built into his right arm. Raven seemed to notice Cyborg and Robin for the first time since they entered the room. She dropped down from the air, regaining a large amount of her composure before walking casually over to meet them. The changeling slowly moved further and further behind Cyborg, careful to keep a good eight feet in between Raven and himself.

"Good morning Cyborg, Robin," she said lightly.

"Raven?" Robin steadily began.

"Yes, Robin?"

"Why were you trying to murder Beast Boy?"

"Well, he stole my cape, ripped it, asked me for a date and changed by treadmill speed to 25 miles per hour, causing me to slam into the back wall very painfully. So if you'll excuse me, I'd like to kill Beast Boy now," she said calmly, beginning to step towards the doomed shape shifter.

The Boy Wonder shot out an arm and grabbed her wrist, most likely saving the changelings life.

"Whoa, Raven. Let's not be too hasty. Just calm down," Robin reasoned.

"Well, Rob, I guess the 'emergency' is under control now, so I'll be going." Cyborg announced. Beast Boy decided it would be wise to vanish before Raven could inflict her promised tortures upon him. The birds were left alone in the training room.

Once Robin heard the door close, he let go of the wrist of the inwardly seething demoness.

"I should have killed him when I had the chance," Raven muttered regretfully.

"Good thing you didn't. That would look pretty bad on your record."

"It might be worth it."

Robin decided to change the subject. "So, are you all done training for now?"

Raven nodded.

"C'mon," Robin beckoned with his fingers to follow him, "I've got to show you something."

He led her to the main research room, and motioned to one of the computer screens. He tapped a few words into a keyboard and brought up a map of the state.

"The abduction sites are represented by the red dots, and they're numbered in the order that they took place."

Raven examined the screen carefully. Robin stood close by. They had been working on this bizarre chain of kidnappings for weeks now, the severity of the situation increasing as more and more people became victims. Raven had been particularly interested in the case, and Robin had been more than happy to let her do much of the research. He trusted in her ability possibly more than any other teammate, and she did not disappoint. Raven was just as anxious to get to the bottom of this case as he was.

"Wow," Raven commented quietly, examining Robin's work carefully, "The pattern is pretty obvious."

"Definitely," Robin replied. "Whoever - or whatever - is performing the abducting is concentrating on one area at a time, kidnapping anywhere from five to ten people before dropping off the scene and appearing again in another location within days."

"Jump City hasn't been targeted yet. It's just a matter of time, isn't it?" she sighed.

"Unless we can stop whatever is doing this first."

"Do you have any new leads?"

"None. I was up pretty late last night working with the last one. Dead end."

Raven shook her head slowly and peered back at the monitor. She appeared pensive for a moment.

"You don't think…" she started fretfully.

"What?" Robin pressed.

"You probably noticed that Starfire has been gone since last night, and I think I might know why she hasn't come back yet."

"Do you know where she is?"

"Unfortunately. I think I have an idea."

"What's that?"

Raven motioned to the most recent cluster of abduction sites, which were located in a small city not more than 35 miles from Jump City.

"Starfire was helping me research yesterday, and she said she was going to go investigate something around there." Raven swore under her breath. "I just let her go alone. I should have gone with her, Robin."

"It's not your fault that she left alone. I'm sure she can take care of herself. I'm sure she's fine. Really." He hoped that his voice sounded more confident than he felt.

"I'm sure," Raven replied without enthusiasm.

"Well," Robin began thoughtfully, "We can do one of three things. One, we can just wait around here to see if she comes back on her own. Two, we tell the others and we all get down there to look for Star. Or three, we tell the others and send a few of us there to look for Star, and the rest stay here and try to dig up anything that might be helpful regarding the matter."

"Someone should go find her, but there's no sense in all of us going," Raven replied, her worry betrayed in her voice. She turned quickly, heading for the door.

Wait, Raven! Robin reached out and put a hand on her shoulder, turning her around to face him. "We'll get Star back safely. I promise."

**A.N.** Well, I hope you liked the story so far. I'll have the next chapter out as soon as I can. I'd love to hear from you. Make sure you review! Thanks.


	2. Setting the Stage

**Last Act**

**Chapter 2 – Setting the Stage**

The duo left the research room and went looking for Cyborg and Beast Boy.

"Any clue where they are?" Robin asked.

"Probably where they always are."

"You're probably right," Robin replied thoughtfully.

They hurried to the common room. Sure enough, they found Cyborg and Beast Boy engaged in an energetic match of Mutant Plant Destroyer Extreme, seated on the huge, red, U-shaped couch. Raven sauntered up to the television screen and shut it off, much to the playing Titans' immense dismay.

"Dude! Raven, what's your deal? I was just about to crush Cy!" BB yelled, throwing down his controller. Obviously he had already completely forgotten how close he had come to being killed by the empath only moments ago.

"Oh right. You actually think you would have won?" Cyborg shot back, "I was going to annihilate you!"

"As much as I deeply care about your pathetic game, Robin and I need to talk to you."

There was something in the authoritative way that Raven said those words that shut up the bickering Titans.

"Is… everything ok?" the changeling asked, realizing for the first time the sincerity and worry that lay deep in the demoness' eyes.

"We're not sure," Robin replied truthfully. "You may have noticed that Starfire has been gone since last night."

"Oh, so that's why there was nothing nasty for breakfast, huh?" BB cut in, receiving a look from Robin that suppressed any further comments. "Uh, sorry. Go on."

"As I was saying," Raven began again, "Starfire went out yesterday to investigate something that had to do with the string of abductions. We haven't seen her or heard from her since, and we're beginning to get worried that she got herself into some sort of trouble."

Cyborg appeared thoughtful. "Do we know where she went?"

"We think so. The last group of abductions took place about 35 miles from here, in Delta City. That's where Starfire was headed yesterday," Robin replied.

"My sensors aren't picking up the signal from her communicator, and they track everything within a 50 mile radius," Cyborg spoke up, looking down at a small screen on his left forearm. "Someone must have deactivated it."

"So what are we waiting for? Let's go track her down!" the changeling said impatiently.

"Not so fast, Beast Boy. We don't know for a fact that she was kidnapped, or that anything bad happened to her at all. And it makes no sense for all of us to go investigate. I think that two of us should go look for Star, and the other two should stay here and dig up anything they can that might be helpful. I'll go with Beast Boy to Delta City. Cyborg, Raven, you two stay here. Try to track her down somehow."

Ten minutes later, the R-cycle was speeding away from the Tower, Beast Boy following after him in the form of a falcon. Raven and Cyborg returned to the Operations Room, immediately setting about the task of digging up anything that might lead them to Starfire.

TT

An hour passed. Then another. Nothing. Raven could scream. Nearly 100 people total had disappeared without a trace, and for all they knew, Starfire might have been the latest victim. Raven had tried everything, hoping to find some sort of connection between all the victims. Age, ethnicity, blood type, jobs, interests, anything and everything she could think of. But nothing was adding up. The only thing she noticed was that most of the abductions had been reported in the evening, after sunset. But so what? That was hardly abnormal, since most kidnappings would obviously occur when the attacker had a better chance of getting away unseen.

"Cyborg, you find anything?" Raven asked absently, praying he was having better luck than she was.

"Not yet. Sorry Rae." He replied from the console next to her, just as the communicator in his arm chirped. Cyborg answered it. It was Robin. "Hey Robin, how's it going? Any luck?" he asked.

"I have a lead."

"Really? That's great! Is it credible?"

"It's someone who says they narrowly escaped being abducted them self a few days back. I'm talking to her now. I just wanted to check in. How's the research going?"

"Horribly."

"Oh. Well, Beast Boy and I should be home around ten. See you then." And with that, Robin ended the transmission.

TT

"Sorry about that," Robin apologized to the pale, petite woman sitting across from him in the Delta City Coffee Shop.

The pretty blonde smiled thinly. "It's fine."

"Where were we?" He asked, glancing down to reread what he had printed into his small, black notebook. He scanned his notes, which read:

Lise McGunner, age 22, Delta City resident

June 23 – worked from 7 to 11 a.m., had lunch, visited Public Library, traveled to mall, went to dinner, saw a magic show, was attacked on way back to apartment around 11 p.m., near theater.

"Ms. McGunner, can you tell me anything about this magic show you attended?" Robin requested.

"Yeah, it was amazing! Such a skilled magician! MuJu the Magnificent. I remembered the name because it was a little strange. Anyway, he was great. He started off with a few card tricks and then-"

"Ms. McGunner, Sorry, I don't mean to interrupt again. How do you spell 'MuJu?'" Robin cut in.

"M-u-J-u," She replied.

"Thanks. And do you remember what the magician looked like?"

Ms. McGunner cast her eyes to the ceiling, apparently attempting to remember. "No, I don't really remember. He was old and thin, but that's about it. Look, it's late. I have to work tomorrow. I better go."

Robin was a bit surprised about her eagerness to leave. They had only been talking for about fifteen minutes.

"Well, thank you very much for your help," he replied.

"No problem, hun. I hope you figure out your case," she grinned, picked up her purse, and was off.

Robin looked over his notes again before closing the little notebook and setting his pen down on the table. He put his head in his arms and sighed, deep in thought.

BB casually stepped up to him, sporting a coffee stain on his uniform. "Get anything good?"

"Yeah, no thanks to you. Where were you?" Robin asked the changeling, sitting up again and adjusting his mask.

"I never knew there were so many hot babes in Delta City!" He jovially replied, ignoring his leader's question. He plopped down beside his friend on the opposite side of the table, where Ms. McGunner had been sitting moments earlier.

Robin groaned audibly and rolled his eyes heavenward, pleading silently for patience. "Anyway, she says she was attacked right after some sort of magic show on the 23rd of June," he said, ignoring the changeling and flipping open his notes again. "She never saw the attacker since it was dark, only heard him or her running towards her. She ran, but the attacker caught up to her anyway, grabbed her left arm, and tried to clamp a hand over her mouth. She claims it was an easy hold to break, thanks to five years of Karate training. She then swung her purse at this person and sprinted to her apartment complex. When she got there, the assailant was gone."

"Cool story," the shape shifter said with a smile, peering over his notes. "Work, lunch, blah blah blah…. magician, hm? That's strange, if you ask me."

"You think so?"

"Yeah. Who was it?"

"Some guy who calls himself MuJu the Magnificent."

"MuJu?" Beast Boy said dubiously with a smirk. "I wonder if it's Dutch or something."

Robin sighed. "No, Beast Boy, I don't think it's Dutch. But you might have something there. Maybe it stands for something."

Beast Boy smacked his forehead with his palm. "Well duh! Why didn't I see that before?"

"What? Did you figure something out?" Robin asked curiously.

"Yeah! MuJu must be short for Mumbo Jumbo" He exclaimed, his face lighting up. "I can not believe this finally happened. I figured something out before the amazing Boy Wonder did! This is a monumental occasion! It shall go down in history!" Beast Boy cried, as he stood up on the bench, thrusting a fist in the air in triumph.

Robin's face turned the color of a ripe tomato, and he cursed himself for being so blind to the obvious. Why on earth had it not occurred to him earlier? Mumbo was the only villain magician he was aware of, so why didn't he even think of him? So much for being a stellar detective.

"We better be getting back to the Tower," Robin announced, pulling Beast Boy from the coffee shop by the collar as the green teen continued his elaborate victory dance.

TT

The next day there was still no sign of Starfire. Robin was much more worried than he had been the day before, and had spent another almost sleepless night looking for answers. Luckily, he had found what he hoped was a major breakthrough.

It had occurred to him soon after he and Beast Boy returned to the Tower that Mumbo Jumbo must have been behind all the kidnappings. The clusters of abductions were probably stops on his tour.

The grass stain hadn't shut up for hours about how he 'out-detectived' the Boy Wonder. Robin began to regret restraining Raven from murdering the changeling earlier that day. After he had briefed Cyborg and Raven on his discovery, they were a trifle embarrassed to admit that they had found nothing even remotely helpful for them.

In the middle of the night, Robin had returned to Delta City to pick up a local newspaper. He knew that there would probably be something that mentioned it if a magician was in town.

He skimmed through it, and was delighted to not only find a small article about MuJu the Magnificent's show, but a picture of the villain and a list of show times. It was definitely Mumbo Jumbo; there was no doubt about that. He had the same half-crazy look on his face, and in the picture he was pulling a white rabbit from a large, black top hat.

Robin remembered the last encounter with the evil man, and was certainly not looking forward to another, but who knew what the dire consequences would be if Mumbo wasn't apprehended soon? This was no ordinary magician, who won over crowds with illusions and special props. Who knew what the half-mad magician was capable of?

Robin began to scheme. He had to get into one of those shows! Mumbo was obviously behind the disappearances, but there were still many questions that needed to be answered before Robin could even think about getting the magician arrested.

He had waited until ten in the morning, when the article said the ticket telephone line would open. He punched in the number, and held it to his ear.

One ring. Two rings. Three. Four. Five. And just when it seemed like no one would pick up, a bored sounding woman with a nasally voice answered, "Hello. You've reached MuJu the Magnificent's ticket purchasing line, how may I help you?"

Robin thought fast, and decided to disguise his voice a bit. "Um, I was wondering if I could buy four tickets for the next show in Delta City, tomorrow afternoon," he replied in a voice that was a bit deeper than normal.

"I'm sorry sir, but we don't have four tickets left. This is a very popular show, you know. All Delta shows are sold out. Lucky for you we've just recently had a cancellation, so I could find you… two tickets."

"Are you sure? That's it?"

"I'm positive. Would you like to reserve them? I'll need your name, sir."

"Uh, sure I'd like to make a reservation. Oh, and my name is… McGunner. Mr. McGunner," Robin replied carefully.

There was a pause on the other line, and a few keystrokes on a keyboard were just barely audible. "Alright, the show begins at eight pm, tomorrow in Delta City's Performing Theater. Do you need directions?"

"Erm, no. Thank you." And with that, Robin hung up, taking in a huge breath.

But now he had a dilemma. He had to convince Raven to play his date for the evening. Worse, he had to convince her to play his wife for the evening, and if he was trying to make her look like the beautiful, blonde Mrs. McGunner he had talked to the day before, Raven would have to, eh, modify her appearance a bit.

Robin nervously rang her communicator. After a brief moment, the empath's board face appeared on the small circular screen.

"What is it Robin?" she asked.

"Hi, Raven. Listen, I have a favor to ask. Could you meet me in the common room in a minute please?"

There was a brief pause. "I guess. See you then." And the transmission was ended.

When Robin walked into the front room, he found Raven already there, reading. He tried hard to appear casual.

"Hi, Raven," he greeted her.

"Hi," she replied, giving him a slightly confused look and shutting her novel. "So, why am I here?"

He told her about his findings, and about the phone call.

"So, Raven, I kinda need someone to impersonate Mrs. McGunner, and I don't know any other girls who would be willing to do this so-"

"And who exactly told you I was willing, Boy Blunder?" Raven asked, a hint of anger rising into her voice.

"Aw, come on Raven? It'll be fun. Just think of it as a… fun magic thing," he said lamely.

"A fun magic thing?" Raven asked, cocking one eyebrow and eyeing him quizzically.

"Yeah. Come on, don't you want to do your part to get Mumbo behind bars again?"

Raven nodded but said, "There are other ways to figure out what Mumbo is doing than by pretending to be your wife.

Robin gulped. "Think of Starfire, Raven. Think about how we might never see her again if we can't figure this whole thing out quickly." Robin felt guilty the moment the words left his lips. He knew he shouldn't have played that card.

Raven bit her lip. After a few moments of uncomfortable silence, she said, "Fine. I'll do it for Starfire."

Robin sighed in relief. "Great! It's a date then." The boy grinned sheepishly and strode out of the room, leaving Raven more than a little bit confused and wondering just what she had gotten herself into.

**A.N.** Well, that's chapter two, folks. I hope you liked it! Remember to review!


	3. The Big Show

**Last Act**

**Chapter 3 – The Big Show**

Raven was hardly through talking to Robin.

"Hold up there, bird boy," she called him back into the common room.

Robin obeyed, halting mid-step and throwing a look over his shoulder at Raven.

"Yes?" he said.

"Robin, you're going to have to be a bit more specific. What do I have to do? Just stand by you?" the demoness inquired.

He hesitated. "Well, yeah. But, ya know, we're married. Well, you know what I mean. I know you're not much of an actress, but try to be convincing. I know you have it in you."

"I can't believe I'm actually going to do this."

"I can. It's necessary, Rae. And besides, it's just for a few hours. It won't be that bad. I promise."

"I'll hold you to that."

Robin allowed a small grin to appear over his face. "See you tomorrow night then, honey." He strode from the room with a grin.

Raven was beginning to have serious second thoughts.

……….

The rest of that day was a blur for the four remaining Titans, as they kept working diligently on the abduction case, only breaking for meals and once when a crook attempted to hold up a convenience store and they were called to give the crook a good thrashing.

Raven's mind strayed to her conversation with Robin frequently, and she had to force herself into focusing only on the task at hand. Remembering his words, she knew the whole 'date' thing was completely necessary and was only in the interest of tracking down Star.

Raven spent a good deal of time prepping for the 'big event.' She found a blonde wig at the mall and had to buy a dress because the only ones she owned were dark blue or black in color, which Robin insisted she not wear because of possible recognition's sake. She agreed reluctantly, but made him pay for her new clothes. She even bought a cheap set of plastic, gold painted rings for them to wear to add to the married effect. Raven had always prided herself on preparing for the little details, which may go unnoticed, but then again, may be just the right thing to convince a suspicious person.

The time crawled slowly by for all the Titans. Their efforts were futile in the case, and all agreed to ease up since there were clearly better things to do with their time.

Eventually, the evening of MuJu the Magnificent's show came. Robin looked at himself in his mirror carefully. His ebony hair was slicked back, not spiked as he usually kept it. His normal mask had been replaced by a pair of dark sunglasses. He was wearing a suit that he usually wore for meetings with the mayor, galas, parties, that sort of thing. He felt naked without his utility belt, but kept his communicator in a jacket pocket. His black dress shoes gleamed in the light, obviously new and expensive. Robin nervously twirled a white carnation in his fingers.

Raven glanced at herself in the mirror in her bedroom once more, scrutinizing every part of her new getup. She hated the wig, the horrid, itchy thing. She smoothed her dress absently. It was a deep red, cut low in the front, and reached down to just sweep the floor. Her nails were painted a dark red to match. Raven wore her gold ring along with a small blue diamond necklace she had received from Starfire last Christmas. She wore a pair of strappy, white shoes that made it hard for her to walk, and Raven felt clumsy even as she practiced stepping about in her room.

Her clock read seven ten. "Show time," she said aloud, donning a black coat and leaving her room, flicking off the dim light.

TT

Robin waited nervously in the front room, absently digging a hole in the floor with the toe of his dress shoe. The electric door whooshed open, and Raven stepped into the room. Robin smiled.

"Raven, you look great. Oh, I, uh, I got this for you," he said, handing her the single, pale carnation.

Raven tinged red but took the flower with a nod, tucking it to the front of her dress. Cyborg and BB burst in the room, grinning like fools.

"Have fun now, ya hear, kids?" Cyborg teased.

"Enjoy your date, love birds!" Beast Boy added gleefully, walking over to elbow Robin in the ribs.

"Ha ha. You're a riot, guys. So, Cy, am I driving the T-Car?" Robin inquired.

"Sure, and as long as you're doing that, why don't you also bring a bullhorn and shout, 'I'm an undercover Teen Titan' while you're at it?" the metallic teen asked sarcastically, crossing his arms like he was talking to an imbecile.

Robin shook his head. "Sorry. I've been acting like an idiot lately."

"I'll just call a cab," Raven replied.

By the time the cab arrived, the birds had 25 minutes to travel 35 miles.

The cabbie opened the back door for Raven, smiled, and said, "I didn't know two of the Titans was datin.'"

"We're not," Robin and Raven replied at the same time.

"Look, sir, we have a little over twenty minutes to travel thirty-five miles to Delta City Performing Theater. Is there anyway we could get there that quickly?" Robin asked.

"Yeah," the cabbie responded with a yawn. "But ya know it'll cost ya."

"Forget about the price. Just get us there," Robin dictated, and before he could finish the sentence, the cab was off with a screech of tires.

……….

Eighteen minutes later, two shaky birds exited the taxi. Robin the Boy Wonder was looking a little green in the face as he paid the cab driver.

"I think I'll walk home this evening," Raven told Robin. "That thing was going one hundred miles per hour at least."

"Well, c'mon darling, time for the show," Robin said, smiling, and surprised Raven by grabbing her hand, weaving his fingers with hers.

Raven didn't pull away, but remarked, "My, you're enjoying this little charade, aren't you?" Robin chuckled in response.

The duo stepped into the theater. The place was bustling with laughter and violin music. The room had an excessively high ceiling, which was inlaid with stained glass. Garish crystal chandeliers hung at intervals throughout the room, glittering magnificently and causing the light to sparkle onto the cream painted walls, although not quite sufficiently lighting the whole hall. The carpet was a bright red, not luridly so, but bright enough to be seen easily even in the dark theater. The theater was tiered with an aisle running down the center to the stage. The stage itself was about five feet up from the lowest tier, with a polished wooden floor and classic red velvet curtains that hung loosely, leaving most of the stage not visible to the audience. There were three small sets of wooden stairs, one on either side of the stage and one in the center.

The Titans made their way to a vacant table near the far side in the middle of the theater, careful to take in the details of the place. They searched for anything suspicious, people they knew, anything strange about their surroundings. Satisfied that they were in no immediate danger, Raven took off her coat and handed it to Robin, who hung it over the back of his chair.

"Now what?" Raven asked.

"Now, we wait for the show to start."

They sat, unsure of what else to say. It was an uncomfortable silence, as all the tables around them were filled with laughing couples, joking and carrying on, having a good time.

A small man clothed in all black attire carefully made his way up behind Raven, casually so, as not to attract the attention of the other parties.

"Good evening, Mr. and Mrs. McGunner!" he began cheerfully. "Enjoying yourselves?"

"Yeah," was the simple response from Robin. He didn't know how he could expound upon that, as they really had just arrived. It was Raven that came to his rescue.

"I've always loved it here. The decor is beautiful!" she flashed a very uncharacteristic smile.

Robin had to grin.

"Have you seen the show before?" the man asked.

Raven cast Robin a quick look. "Yes, on the 23rd."

"Wonderful. Then you know how on one of the last tricks, MuJu will need an assistant from the audience."

"Of course. An assistant," Raven said cheerfully.

"Would you be willing to be that assistant, ma'am?"

Raven attempted a friendly grin, but it ended up as a partial grimace. "Sure, I'd love to."

"Great! When MuJu 'randomly' selects you from the audience, exit through the doors through which you left after the show on the 23rd. There will be a door on the right, and a flight of stairs. Take those stairs to the second floor, turn left, go down three doors, then turn left again. It's the first door on your right. Can't miss it! And remember, it's a trick. Don't tell anyone about it. Ok? Ok. You'll do great. Good evening, McGunners!" He gave a slight bow and stepped away.

"Robin?"

"Yeah?"

"What on earth just happened?"

"I honestly do not know."

"This is great," the demoness replied sardonically.

Robin opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off by a tiny orchestra that began to play enthusiastically. The same man that had just been at their table trotted up to the front through the center aisle, and sauntered up to the stage with a regal bow, wearing a festive red cape. The man put his arms in the air to silence the crowd.

"Good evening ladies and gentlemen! I am Marco, assistant of the great MuJu the Magnificent! Are you ready to be thrilled, chilled, amazed and astounded by the greatest magician ever to grace Delta City?"

He paused for a polite clap from the audience of adults.

"Then put your hands together for…" he paused again, this time for a drum roll, "MuJu the Magnificent!" He threw his hands in the air, and the curtains abruptly went up to reveal an empty stage.

The orchestra began to play a quiet, energetic piece. There was a huge puff of smoke and when it settled, none other than Mumbo Jumbo, dangerous, crazy Mumbo Jumbo, was grinning gleefully from center stage, wearing a fancy tuxedo and a black cape. The audience clapped again.

"Thank you, thank you! You're a lovely audience, really," he loudly exclaimed.

He placed one of his hands out in front of himself, palm facing up. He brought the other hand down on top of it with a clap, and when he took away the second hand, a baton had appeared. He waved it.

"Hocus Pocus!" Mumbo cried, balling his hand into a fist. He opened it quickly and flung his arm upwards, sending a black top hat up in the air. He spun around and caught the hat on his head to more applause.

"I'd like to get things started with a few card tricks," he said, scanning the audience. "Hey you, yeah, you, lady with the orange dress!" He waited for the woman to climb onto the stage from the right staircase. "What's your name, darling?"

The blushing, middle-aged, heavyset woman answered quietly, "Rose."

"Rose, eh? Ok, Rosey, pick a card, any card!" With a flourish, he brought a deck of cards from a pocket, throwing them in the air with one hand and letting them form a bridge over his head before he caught them with the other. He fanned them out, and Rose proceeded to draw a card from the deck, showing the audience. It was a six of clubs. She then folded it and held it in her hand tightly, careful to not let it go. Mumbo pulled a balloon from his sleeve, and it inflated. He tied the end in a knot, drew out a sharp needle, and popped the balloon. A piece of paper fluttered out, and fell to the floor. He picked it up, and, of course, it was the six of clubs. Rose opened her hand and screamed when she found that the card had indeed magically vanished from her closed fist.

Mumbo grinned, eating up the amazement from her and the audience.

"Flowers for the lovely lady!" he cried, producing a bouquet of roses from his sleeve. "Roses for Rose!" The woman thanked Mumbo and stepped down off of the stage, flowers in hand, receiving a small round of applause, which she waved off in embarrassment.

Mumbo proceeded to perform a number of other card tricks, ending with one where a volunteer chose a card, he burned the entire deck, and the card reappeared in the volunteer's shoe.

"And for my next trick," he began, "I'm going to need another willing volunteer! How about you, sir?" Mumbo pointed at Robin.

Robin, of course, was reluctant, but eventually complied when all eyes in the house were on him and Mumbo wasn't backing down. "So, sonny, what's your name?" Mumbo asked Robin when he had stepped onto the stage.

"Steve," Robin replied easily.

"Well, welcome, Steve! Mumbo exclaimed, thrusting out his hand for Robin to shake. When he did, Mumbo's fake arm fell out of his sleeve. Robin jumped a bit, holding the faux arm uncertainly.

"Let me give you a hand there, Stevie!" he cried with a wave of his wand. "Hucus Pocus!" The arm jumped out of Robin's grip and hopped off the stage. The audience applauded energetically.

Mumbo went on, his real arm appearing in his sleeve. "Now, Robin will disappear, forever!" With a snap of his fingers and a flash of light, a large, coffin-like box appeared on stage. The door opened, and Mumbo pushed Robin over to the box.

Raven had actually been enjoying the whole show so far. The tricks were interesting, and his 'unique' style kept the crowd guessing what he would do next.

Raven had smirked when Robin was forced on stage, but was now a little worried. She didn't trust a villain magician with her team leader. Not one bit. After all, he was probably behind Star's disappearance. Who could be sure that he wouldn't do something strange, like transport her friend to another world inside of his hat like last time? No. She couldn't take that risk. She had to get Robin off the stage. But then what? Their cover would probably be blown, and they both would both be caught. There was the possibility that Mumbo was oblivious to the fact that two of his enemies were in the theater, but she was seriously doubting that. Raven felt completely helpless.

She knew that Robin was a smart boy, though. He could take care of himself. He had his communicator, and she had hers—

Raven swore under her breath. No, she did not have her communicator with her. In the rush of leaving, she never had taken it from her room. 'And that,' she berated herself, 'Is the kind of carelessness that could end up killing us.'

At least Robin could contact the Tower if he had to, or the authorities, as long as his communicator wasn't taken or destroyed first. Raven shuddered. All she could do was wait, watch, and hope. She hated that.

"Watcha waiting for, Stevie? Are you claustrophobic, now? C'mon, audience! Let's cheer ol' Stevie on!" Mumbo cried. The audience clapped, completely oblivious of the underlying events.

During the applause, Mumbo took the opportunity to lay a hand on the boy's shoulder, lean over to Robin and hiss into his ear, "Ah, my teen foe, Robin. Did you actually think you would fool Mumbo Jumbo? Clever name, _Steve_. I knew that you would catch onto my little plan."

Robin struggled to free himself from the old man's grip, but Mumbo was extremely strong for an elderly person. He shoved Robin roughly into the box, and smiled for the audience before shutting the door with a bang, locking it with a heavy metal padlock. He tapped on it with his wand. "Abracadabra!" he yelled victoriously.

Inside the box, Robin was quite worried. Now that Mumbo mentioned it, he was little bit claustrophobic. Knowing that an evil magician was running the trick just made matters worse. Bracing his arms against the walls, he gave the door a good, solid kick. Nothing. The box didn't give at all. The wood must have been at least four inches think all around! He banged on the sides. Again, nothing. He could hear the muffled voice of the villain shouting a magic word, and the floor slipped from beneath him. He fell downward before his mind could register what was happening.

After a short trip through a chute, Robin landed painfully on his back on a concrete floor. He groaned, sitting up. A splitting headache hit him like a speeding train. The room was pitch black! He couldn't see a single thing. Looking up, he could make out a faint rectangle of light. Robin assumed that was where he fell through. Standing up shakily, he realized that the bit of light was probably a good seven feet from his head, so there was no possibility of getting out through the way he came.

There was a small noise. Robin spun around. There it was again! But this time from another direction. Then another. A hand clamped over his mouth and he was suddenly shoved to the floor, knocking his breath from him. After recovering, he tried to break free, but another person pinned down his arms with so much force he felt like his wrists would break. Apparently, there was more than one person attacking him. But who were they?

TT

Raven heard the magic word spoken, and gasped as there was a puff of smoke. It cleared and Mumbo undid the padlock. He opened the door with a flourish, revealing that Robin had in fact, vanished.

Raven stood up, alarmed. Mumbo glanced at her, and for the benefit of the audience smiled, saying, "Oh don't worry, dear, Your husband should return eventually!" The crowd laughed, remaining completely unaware of the actual situation. Raven struggled to keep down her seething fury and fought the urge to go shake the evil man senseless until he returned Robin.

"My next trick…" Raven heard Mumbo say, but she tuned out. 'This is horrible.' She thought to herself. What was she to do now? What could she do? Nothing! Absolutely nothing but wait. Searching would be futile. Raven knew that theaters are always designed with a plethora of hidden rooms and passages for the convenience of performers, so searching would likely be pointless.

The minutes dragged by. The halftime break came and went. She sat alone, half listening to the performance, which she was no longer enjoying.

Finally, came her cue. A chance to do something productive that would maybe lead her to Robin.

"For my last trick, I will need another willing audience member." Mumbo continued, scanning the crowd as if he didn't know who he actually would choose. "Ah, how about Mrs. Stevie's wife, huh? C'mon down, lady!"

Raven rose, not looking too eager she hoped, traveled down the aisle, and stepped onto the stage. She shot Mumbo a death glare, which he pretended not to notice. "What's your name?"

"Lise."

"Lise? Are you sure that's not _lies_?" he said quietly, for Raven's benefit.

"Ha ha. You're so funny, MuJu," Raven shot back, rolling her eyes.

Mumbo turned to face his audience. "For my last trick, always a crowd favorite, I will perform the age old stunt of cutting a volunteer in half, and restoring her unharmed. At least, mostly unharmed," he grinned. "Now will my lovely assistant please go prepare while I gather my supplies?" As he spoke, Marco wheeled a table onto the stage from the left, and Raven quickly stepped off the stage from the right.

'This has just got to be a trap. It's so obvious,' Raven thought, walking to the exit in the back of the theater. She decided that she would almost definitely get herself caught if she tried looking for Robin on her own. Raven opted to go back to the Tower to get Cyborg and Beast Boy before attempting a rescue mission. Besides, maybe Robin had already contacted them. Maybe he was waiting outside for her. Maybe, just maybe, they could go back to the Tower and Star would be there, so they could forget about the whole issue…

As Raven allowed herself to dream about what may miraculously happen, she reached the exit doors. Pushing one of them open, she stepped into the night. She took a breath to calm her nerves. 'Now what did that Marco guy say…' Raven tried to remember their brief talk. 'There should be a door to the right.'

And sure enough, there was. Raven decided to take a peak. Just a little look around. Maybe she would be able to find Robin easily. Maybe he would be waiting for her in the room on the second floor…

She pushed open the door, and received the fright of her life. There stood Mumbo, grinning evilly. Raven nearly jumped out of her skin. He had been just standing there, waiting for her. But how…? Wasn't he on the stage? Unfortunately, Raven was not left to her thoughts. Hands grabbed her roughly from behind, holding her wrists and binding them with a rope. She was shoved through the door and it slammed loudly behind her. Raven turned her head just in time to see _another_ Mumbo Jumbo raise something high in the air, and bring it down swiftly on her head. Raven blacked out.

**A.N.** There it is. Chapter 3! Hope you liked it. Once again, I'd love it if you reviewed my story!


	4. Labyrinth

**Last Act**

**Chapter 4 – Labyrinth**

When Raven came to, she found herself bound and in some sort of basement, presumably that of the theater, with her wrists tied behind her. Raven knew she had been wounded from the impact of whatever it was that knocked out, because sticky, red blood was dried all down her arm and her head was killing her.

Mumbo, or one of them, sat in a chair a few feet away, reading from a large book, obviously unaware at his prisoner's recent awakening, as she had not uttered a sound since. The door to the little room was closed, but the lock was not turned. Raven knew that if she could get past the magician, she was free, at least free to move about the basement until an escape route to outside was located.

Raven came up with a plan. She groaned loudly, causing Mumbo to look down at her. She then rolled her eyes to the back of her head and gave a good, loud, hacking cough. Raven leaned to her left, as if she was about to pass out, struggled to right herself, and fell to the other side, hitting the ground with a little more force than she intended. The act had the desired effect. Mumbo jumped up, apparently unhappy to see that his captive was probably in need of medical attention. He nudged her limp arm with a shoe, and when she didn't move, bent down to check her breathing. Raven held her breath for over a good minute and was beginning to feel the effects of the oxygen deprivation when he pulled away. Mumbo jumped up, flinging open the door and disappearing, crying, "Mumbo!" again and again as he went.

Raven sat up and took a deep, calming breath. After settling her emotions, she spoke aloud with authority, "Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" the bonds which bound her broke from the dark force that tore through the room. A bare light bulb, the room's only source of light, exploded, sending a shower of sparks on her head and plunging the room into complete darkness.

She stood shakily, felt for the door, and exited the room. Unfortunately, a new panic set in. Raven was alone in a black labyrinth of the theater basement, and she had no way of knowing where she was, or where anything was for that matter. Feeling along the walls would only get her so far.

Ironically, for a demoness, she had never been fond of the dark. More specifically, what could be hiding in the dark, just seconds away from attacking. Raven forced herself to not succumb to those fears now, knowing that they were in no way a productive way of spending priceless time and energy.

But what could she do? Well, she could wait, hoping help would come to her, or slowly make her way around the dark basement of the Delta City Performing Theater. She opted for the second, but kept a mental note of every turn she made, so that if need be, she could return to the room she awoke in.

TT

Robin woke up in a similar predicament as Raven did, but more than one grinning Mumbo Jumbo was looming over him. Robin blinked, half squinting his eyes from the brightness of the room. He gasped, and tried to bring a hand to his face, before realizing that he was bound at the wrists. His sunglasses were gone! There, before strangers, his identity was practically revealed. A rage swelled within him, an intense hate for the putrid, heartless beings with the cruel smiles that stood above him. Had they only done this to anger him? He wanted to hurt these wretched people, but he could not. And although he would have liked to attribute his restraint to his self-control and righteous, superhero nature, the ropes around his wrists probably had more to do with his inaction.

"Why am I here?" Robin asked through clenched teeth.

"For the same reason you had Mumbo put in jail," said one of the Mumbos with glee.

"Someone believes that you do not deserve to be free anymore," another added.

"That you're a menace to society, always imposing your own ways and ruling like a dictator from your high perch above the common folk," the last finished.

"Squelching all the fun is no way to live. You must comply. You must learn." The second insisted.

"The Titans shouldn't be in control when they have no sense of fun at all, don't you think, Robin?" the first grinned.

"Do you have Starfire?" Robin asked, ignoring their lecture.

The third Mumbo smiled evilly. "The alien girl? She has been done away with," he said with a casual wave of his hand.

Robin cried out in sadness and anger, surprising the Mumbos quite a bit.

"I didn't mean we killed her," the third one replied to his outburst with a grin, "She has been appropriately apprehended for meddling with Mumbo's business. She's been taken care of."

Robin tried hard not to sigh in relief. But Starfire was still in danger, even if she was not dead. He had to get away and find her! And Raven, oh no, what happened to Raven? He was still wearing his jacket, but would not risk getting the communicator confiscated by doing anything stupid like taking it out with the Mumbos in the room. But how to make them leave?

Robin felt with his hands at the ropes that bound his hands behind his back, and thanked the gods that it was only rope. He felt the knots that kept him captive, and knew that if they could be undone, he could escape. Suddenly, Robin had an idea. He had to keep the Mumbos talking.

"So, are you all clones of the real Mumbo Jumbo?" Robin asked.

"Yes and no. That's a complex issue," the first replied.

"But the simplest answer is yes, we're technically clones, copies of the illustrious Mumbo," the third said.

"And why did you capture Starfire, Raven, and me?" he asked.

"We've already explained that to you! You don't deserve to be free," the second repeated, "You need to be changed."

This wasn't working. He had to get them to not notice that his hands were busy at work untying the binds at his wrists. But how?

"What would you guys do differently then, if you ran a city?"

That was the perfect question to ask. The Mumbos answered eagerly.

"No schools! No jobs! People doing as they please!" cried one.

"Parties and fun, twenty-four seven!" added another.

"Magic would rule, reality would bend!" the last said.

"And most of all, Mumbo would finally receive the respect and honor he deserves." The second replied. They went on, listing things they would change, and what life without the 'pesky, boring governments' would be like.

Robin's fingers and wrists were raw from the ropes, but the knots were finally undone. He held onto each end of the rope, giving the illusion of him still being bound.

"May I please stand up, Mumbos? I won't try anything, but my legs are falling asleep," he cut into their chatter.

"Fine, but if you do anything funny, you'll be sorry," one warned.

"Ok," Robin complied, carefully standing. His head still pounded from the impact of his fall, but he pushed aside the pain, concentrating on the current task.

'Now or never,' he though to himself. Robin counted to three and attacked. He threw a punch at the first, catching him off guard and sending him toppling to the ground. The second and third cried out, and lunged towards him.

Robin quickly sidestepped to the left, and executed a flawless kick that made the third howl in pain and clutch his hip.

"You're going to wish you hadn't done that," the second warned. Robin caught him in the chest with a hard punch, and the second Mumbo toppled over, the air knocked from his lungs.

Thinking ahead, Robin grabbed a folding chair that one of the Mumbos had been using, and rather than fight with it, Robin sprinted for the door, found it unlocked, and dashed out, closing the door behind him. He remembered that a chair could be used to keep the door closed in a pinch, if it was propped correctly against the doorknob.

Remembering spotting a light switch near the door in the room he had just escaped from, Robin quickly opened the door just an inch, silently grabbing the old light switch firmly and tugging it off then to one side, which had the desired effect. The light switch broke off, and the room was left in darkness. He slammed the door again, leaving the Mumbos shouting in confusion. He jammed the door with the folding chair, and backed away, proud of his work.

Robin noticed how dark the basement was. The inky black seemed thick enough to suffocate him. He had to get out. But how? He couldn't cry out, there were bound to be more Mumbos looking for him.

He stooped and began to crawl along the walls, keeping one hand against it and the other in front of himself as he inched along on his knees, the cheap commercial carpeting burning his skin as he crept across it. He felt more protected than he would standing, and he figured that it did not matter anyway how he chose to move about. His suit pants had already been ruined by blood and holes, as he had apparently been dragged to the room in which he woke up.

……….

It seemed to Raven that she had been walking slowly for years. But in reality, she had no way of knowing what time it was, or even what day it was. She had long since forgotten the way she had come, and there was no hope in returning.

Raven wondered if there were any beings around her, maybe someone from the police looking for her. The empath stopped. Raven focused on calming herself once again, listening into the darkness for anything.

She heard a small sound, a light shuffle as of a predator trying to creep quietly towards its prey. Or was it only far away, giving the illusion that someone was muffling their steps? She did not know. Raven knew that she could cry out, and hope for the later. But what if it was Mumbo, or one of the Mumbos, coming to find her?

She sensed an aura or fear exuding from the halls, so strong that it was almost overwhelming. Raven decided to call out. She would rather be recaptured than spend much longer in the labyrinth of twisting hallways, perhaps only walking in circles. Perhaps the aura of fear belonged to that of a fellow captive, perhaps Robin or Starfire…?

"Hello? Is someone there?" she cried, straining her ears to hear any response.

Robin was afraid. How long had he been crawling? There were no signs of an exit. Was this actually the basement of the theater? Could it be another one of Mumbo's horrible illusions? Was it all a dream? A horrible nightmare?

He heard a muffled sound. A voice of a female, quietly echoing through the corridors.

"Is someone there? Who are you?" Robin yelled.

Either Raven's mind was paying tricks on her, or another voice had answered her back. It sounded like… Robin! Could it be?

"Robin! Robin! Is that you?"

"Raven!" he responded. A wave of relief swept over him. "Just stay where you are! Keep talking! I'll find you!"

Raven could hardly make out her leader's voice because of how it echoed through the hallways, but she heard his order to stay still. She complied.

"Robin!" she called.

Robin strained his ears. Her voice was getting louder. He must be getting closer. Robin rounded another corner, then another. Jumping to his feet, he tried to quicken his pace, ran into a wall, and stumbled.

"Robin! Was that you? Are you alright?" the worried empath called.

"I'm getting closer, Raven! Don't worry." He reassured her.

A few more minutes passed, and now she could hear steady footsteps, a good deal louder than they had been before.

"Robin?" she called again.

He rounded the last corner. There she was! He heard her voice right in front of him.

"Raven!" he cried, reaching out for her.

Raven felt his hand brush against her outstretched one. She grabbed his wrist.

"Robin, you're alright!" Raven said.

He pulled her into a hug. She could feel his heart beating rapidly.

"I thought I'd be wandering along forever!" he replied. Robin reached up to her hair, but pulled away when he heard her rapidly draw in a breath. "What's wrong, Raven?" he asked, worried.

"Before the end of the show, when I left the building, I opened the door on the right like I was told to and Mumbo was there! I don't know how, but he was. Then, another one. The second Mumbo hit me in the head with something, and I blacked out. When I woke up, I was in a room with the laceration," Raven recapped.

"Raven, why did you do that? Why didn't you go for help?" Robin asked, anger rising.

"Robin," Raven started. He could feel her looking him straight in the eye, even in the darkness. "I would never leave you like this." She reached up to the side of his face. "Robin! Your glasses!" She drew back her hand.

"I know," answered the voice sadly. "I woke up without them." Robin felt his fury returning as he remembered.

They swapped stories of what had happened to them after waking up, and Robin couldn't stop laughing after Raven told him about her fake fainting. A stroke of genius, he told her.

"So, if we were the ones Mumbo was after, why would he kidnap all those other people too?" Raven asked.

"Maybe just to lure us to one of his shows, but I don't know yet. It doesn't make any sense."

"At least we're together now."

"There's just one problem now, Raven."

"What?"

"We're still stuck in this basement."

"Do you have you communicator?"

"You know what, Raven?"

"What?"

"I'm an idiot. I've been wandering down here in this maze and I haven't checked yet."

"Smart, Boy Wonder. Really smart."

Robin took out his communicator, and turned it on. He was rather unhappy to see that the screen was cracked, probably from when he fell, but at least it did work.

The narrow hall was bathed in an eerie green light when it turned on. Robin glanced up at Raven. Sure enough, part of her hair was matted down with blood and her arm was covered in it. She still had the single white carnation tucked in her dress front. He noticed that she was staring intently at his face. He remembered. His mask was gone.

"I've never seen your eyes before, Robin," she commented, then looked away and blushed when sense returned to her and she realized that he obviously might not want her to see them.

"Well, you're the first Titan," he sighed, turning his attention back to the communicator, flipping to a "call Tower" option. He pressed a red button, and held the communicator so they could both see the screen.

TT

It was six in the morning when Cyborg heard the call from his bedroom. He rushed to the communications room. The caller identification announced that Robin was attempting to contact the Tower. Cyborg yelled for Beast Boy, who groggily appeared a few moments later.

"Wha's happenin'?" the changeling slurred, voice thick with sleep.

"Robin's calling!" Cy shouted.

"Robin? Lemme talk to him! Lemme talk to him!" the green teen cried, hopping up and down like a seven year old, forgetting how tired he was.

Cyborg received the call, and Robin and Raven's faces blinked onto the screen, barely visible and drowning in the darkness that surrounded them.

"Man, we were worried about you guys! Where are you? And Robin, what happened to your mask?" Cy asked.

"We're probably in the basement of the theater, and my mask was stolen by three Mumbo Jumbos."

"Three, huh?"

"Yeah. They say they're like clones."

"Did you find Star?" asked Beast Boy.

"Unfortunately, no, but we did figure a lot of stuff out. All the disappearances were probably just done to lure us to one of the shows. Mumbo wants us locked up. Something about us being cruel dictators, no fun, yada yada. Can you come find us?"

"Not sure. Let me run a test." Cyborg tapped on some keys on a keyboard, and after a moment, a grey shape appeared on Robin's communicator screen, with a small, red blinking dot lost in the middle.

"That's the outline of the theater, and the blinking dot is you guys,' Cyborg's voice boomed. "You're about fifteen feet below ground. Man! That basement is huge! You could be lost for weeks in it! I'm bringing up the blueprints now. I'll walk you through it. Don't worry."

"Thanks, Cyborg. I don't know what we would do without you," Raven said gratefully.

"Probably die of starvation," he grinned. "Ya ready, guys? Ok. Turn to your right, then go down the hall until you get to a crossing…."

TT

Forty-five minutes later the birds stood blinking in the sunlight.

"Thanks Cy, we're out! I'll hail a cab and be home in a while," Robin thanked him.

"No prob, Robin. See ya."

Robin smiled at Raven and put away his communicator. She gave a shadow of a grin back.

"Well, we're out!" he said.

"Yes, finally," Raven replied absently. She was still looking at his eyes. "Robin?"

"Yeah?"

"Why do you wear a mask?"

"Well, why do you wear a hood?"

She did not answer the question, stepping towards the street and waving a hand in the air for a taxi instead. A cab stopped and they got in, soon on their way back home. They were glad to be out alive, but couldn't be truly happy knowing that Starfire was still captive somewhere, maybe even in the theater they had just escaped from.

**A.N.** Dun dun dun! What will happen next? What's with all the Mumbo Jumbos? Will the Teen Titans ever find their beloved Starfire? Find out all this and more in chapter five, coming soon to a computer near you!

In the mean time, please review! I want your opinions – how am I doing so far? I can only make my story better if you tell me how. :)


	5. The Trapdoor

**Last Act**

**Chapter 5 – The Trapdoor**

Once back, safe at the Tower, Raven sat in her room meditating, chanting her mantra to help restore the gentle equilibrium of her emotions that had been damaged by the past day's events. The soothing words calmed her, putting her mind at ease. She had risen a few inches from her bed.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos… Azarath Metrion Zinthos… Azarath Metrion Zinthos…"

"RAVEN!" the changeling's yell broke her calm mood, and she fell to her bed with a groan. 'So much for rebalancing my emotions,' she grumbled to herself.

Donning her hood, Raven stepped to the door of her room, opening it just an inch. There stood the grass stain, smiling. "Robin says we're all going back to the theater to look for Starfire!"

That was on the top ten list of things she definitely did not want to hear at that time. Raven growled and shut the door. If she could have, she would have slammed it, but electric doors aren't easy to slam, so she settled for yelling, "God hates me!" as the door whooshed closed.

Raven walked into the front room five minutes later with a look on her face that said, "Mess with me and die."

"Everything ok, Raven?" the Boy Wonder asked with concern.

"Oh yeah, everything's great. We just escaped from that hell hole and now we just can't wait to get ourselves back into trouble."

"Raven, this isn't about us. It's about finding Starfire and bringing her home before anything really bad happens to her," Robin replied, always the voice of reason.

"This time, it won't be so bad," Cyborg cut in. "We're all bringing flashlights, and no one will forget their communicators," he said, shooting Raven a look.

Raven rolled her eyes and scowled at Cyborg.

The four superheroes arrived in the T-Car at the Delta City Performing Theater early in the afternoon of the same day the birds had escaped from it.

Cyborg parked the car on the opposite side of the street, before speaking up.

"I've downloaded the blueprints of the theater into everyone's communicators, so make sure you refer to those. We're each a different colored dot. I brought enough flashlights for everyone to take two, just incase one dies, but I doubt BB or I will need them."

Robin added, "I'd like everyone to check in with me every fifteen minutes. Include a status report, and make note of anything suspicious or if you see any of the Mumbo clones. And please, try not to alert them of our presence. The last thing we need is psychotic clones after us. Although they look identical, their voices are different. Don't be fooled. We can cover more ground if we all split up. Beast Boy and Raven will take the right side of the basement, and Cyborg and I will take the left."

"Aw, but Raven'll kill me!" Beast Boy whined. "Can Cy 'n me switch?"

"Beast Boy," Robin answered solemnly, "We are a team. We work together. Part of that is learning to overcome our differences when we need to. And right now, you need to."

"Yeah, suck it up grass stain," Cyborg added.

"Titans, go!" Robin called. The team left the car, armed with communicators and flashlights, and walked toward the building.

"Raven and Beast Boy, you enter here," Robin commanded, motioning toward a flight of mossy, old, concrete stairs that led to a rusted metal door. The changeling gave a little salute and they were off.

Cyborg and Robin rounded the building to the left side, carefully stepping through the dense shrubbery and weeds that led to another hidden door.

"Yo dude, what's that?" Cyborg asked, pointing towards a dark trailer hidden in the trees behind the theater.

"I don't know, but it looks like it could fit a whole lot of people. Perfect for getting away with abductees. I'll bet it's involved. Good thing you spotted it."

The two teens strode toward it cautiously. Cyborg drew his sonic cannon, ready to defend them in case of an attack. He crept as quietly as possible to the back of it, carefully opening the back door, which was unlocked. The doors creaked and groaned on their hinges as they swung open, revealing an empty space. Completely empty. From the dusty, dirty, look of it, it appeared as if the trailer hadn't been used for a while.

"Well, it was a good idea," Robin said. "C'mon. Let's get inside."

TT

"You go to the back, I'll go to the front," Raven ordered Beast Boy.

"Fine, Miss Bossy Boss, have it your way," he mumbled, scowling.

Raven sighed and swished away. Beast Boy changed into a bat, and with a mighty screech flew away to the back of the theater basement.

Raven smiled to herself. How much difference a flashlight and her communicator made while wandering alone in this maze. Had it really been that very morning she was creeping along, terrified at every sound, struggling to remain calm? And now she was back again, ready for more, ordering Beast Boy around.

Now, because of the flashlight, she could see the bugs and spiders that crawled along the walls, and was relieved that she did not notice them earlier, as it would have certainly fueled her fright. She could also see doors every now and then, and kept glancing at her communicator's blueprints to see if it was just a closet, or a door that led to another hall she had yet to explore. When she came to closets, she carefully stepped through the walls, just to take a peek and make sure it wasn't full of captives or Mumbo clones.

Beast Boy flew through the halls. A normal bat would have had quite a nice picnic in there, with all the bugs that clung to the walls and cobwebs on the ceilings.

He came to what he perceived to be a door, dropping down to change into a small bug. He crawled along the wall until he found it, and then squeezed under the doorway. He changed into a bat again to detect any movement, found none, and left the room to resume his search.

Robin walked through the halls, panning the walls with his light. He breathed in deeply, and a sour odor filled his nostrils. Looking up, he discovered that the ceiling had significant water damage and was rotting away. He shuddered.

A small sound made him freeze. It sounded like a gasp. Just a small intake of breath, the kind made when one is surprised, like someone would be to come across a masked teen in the pitch black darkness of an old theater basement.

He wheeled around, shining the light down the hall the way he had come, then the other way. 'Strange,' he thought. Nothing.

Cyborg strode down the corridors quickly, but was careful to catch the whole passage with his robotic eye. One interesting feature he had recently added to himself was the ability to record what he saw through the eye, and play it back or burn it to a disc so others could see what he saw. He decided that might be helpful for a mission such as this one.

His footsteps were rhythmic and heavy, his tread even and sure.

Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud, creak, thud, thud, thud, thud….

He stopped, turned, and went back a few feet. He heard it again, a spot on the floor that was apparently not as stable as the surroundings. Bending down, he ran a hand over an edge to the carpet. It was wet and slimy, but instead of pulling back his hand, he tugged the carpet. It gave easily, pulling back to reveal a wooden trapdoor. Opening it carefully, dim light flooded up and he could hear muffled talking. Closing the door carefully, he pulled out his communicator.

Meanwhile, Robin walked on, making a mental note to reinvestigate the spot where he had heard the noise if he had time. His communicator chirped. It was Cyborg.

"Cy, did you find something?" he inquired.

"Yeah," came the quiet response. "Some sort of trapdoor. You gotta come see it! I hear voices and there's light coming from it. I-"

He was cut off by a slightly nasally voice. "Hey, you're not supposed to be here! Mumbo! Mumbo! Intruder!" Robin heard Cyborg's yell in the background. There was a loud noise and the transmission ended.

"Cyborg! Cyborg! Are you there?" Robin cried, forgetting his own order to remain quiet.

He quickly called Raven and Beast Boy's communicators. When they answered, he hissed, "Cyborg has been captured. Be on the lookout for anyone following you guys, they're probably onto all of us now. Be careful! I'm going to find him. He said something about a trapdoor. If you don't hear from me in a half hour, get out! Don't look for me, just leave. Come back with help. Robin out." With that, he began his quest to find his best friend.

Cy's tracking dot on the screen had vanished, but Robin raced to where he had seen it last. As he was much lighter than his friend, his footsteps did not make the weak spot on the floor groan in protest. He had to jump up and down, trying to build up enough force that the trapdoor would give a bit when he landed on it.

After a few minutes of making himself look like a complete fool, he felt a slight difference in a section of flooring, and knelt down on the carpet, feeling for the trapdoor his friend had spoken of. He felt along the carpet's edge, and noticed how it peeled up, instead of being connected to the wall. He pulled it up quickly, and the carpet came up in his hand. A shadow of a smile crossed his lips.

Cracking the trapdoor open, he could see the light and hear the sounds Cyborg had told him of. 'Here goes nothing,' he thought, and jumped down through the hole in he floor.

TT

Raven decided it was time to team up with Beast Boy. Was she scared? No. Well, maybe a bit. But it seemed pointless for them to wander separately, not knowing if they were the only Titan left uncaught. She called his communicator and within minutes they were together.

Raven noticed that her green teammate's complexion had paled noticeably.

"I can't believe they got Cyborg," he said, fearing the worst had happened to his friend and videogame partner.

"He's a strong guy, Beast Boy," Raven reassured him, "He can take care of himself."

TT

Robin landed silently an all fours, like a cat. He rose to full height and looked around. He found himself standing in another hall, the trapdoor about a foot above his head. The new hall was musty, obviously wet and unable to dry completely because the trapdoor above it was almost always kept shut. The rough, concrete walls were slimy and the concrete floor completely saturated. To reduce the likelihood of someone noticing he had entered the secret passage, he shut the wooden door over his head quietly.

He crept down the hall, staying to one side of the wall. A muffled voice gradually grew louder. It sounded like Mumbo, no big surprise. But either he was carrying on a conversation with himself, or more Mumbos were there as well. Robin stopped before he saw the speaking people, to make sure they could not see him.

"Finally," cried the maniacal voice, "We almost have enough people. We will be unstoppable! And we will at last set into motion the plan that will result in a perfect earth."

"But what about them, Mumbo? Three of them are still free."

"Yes, the two most powerful ones are still loose."

"Never mind that! Soon enough they will be ours. Do not worry."

A voice came from directly behind Robin. "No, now only one of the most powerful ones is free, Master."

Robin nearly fainted from the surprise. He didn't want to see who had spoken the words. He already knew who it was. He recognized the voice. It was Starfire's.

TT

Beast Boy and Raven walked down the passages, unsure of what to do next. They decided to look for the trapdoor that had been spoken of. Neither of them had seen where Cyborg had been before his signal had vanished, but they knew that Robin was around the same place. Therefore, they knew that they would find the trapdoor if they found Robin. It had been only ten minutes after Robin had called them, warning them to be extra careful now that two Titans were missing. It seemed like an eternity had gone by.

"Oh no," BB said, his voice cracking.

"Is something wrong?" Raven inquired.

Beast Boy showed Raven his communicator screen. Robin's light had blinked off. They were the only two Titans left in the labyrinth.

Raven drew in her breath quickly. She didn't know what she would do if Robin was gone for good. She would probably die.

"Robin said we should go get help if anything happened to him," the changeling timidly said.

"We can't leave him like this, Beast Boy, don't you get it? Our friends are gone. The police can't help us now. By the time they got here, Mumbo would be gone. I just know it. This is our battle to fight. Are you with me?" Raven asked.

The green teen hesitated, but then nodded in agreement.

"Our battle..." he repeated.

Raven smiled grimly.

TT

Robin turned around. "Starfi-"

His voice died in his throat. It wasn't Star that stood behind him, but a Mumbo clone. "Master, Mumbo, Robin is here!"

No, it wasn't Star. She sounded harsher, eviler. But it was definitely her voice, he knew that even through the diabolical facade. The clone with Starfire's voice grabbed him roughly. She wouldn't ever try to hurt him, would she?

"Excellent, bring him here!" Mumbo responded. Robin was dragged into an opening, where candles flickered against the stone walls. Robin gasped. There must have been thirty Mumbo clones in the area! They all turned to stare at him as he was forced into the room. "Bring him to the chamber, please."

"Yes, Mumbo," answered Star's voice.

He walked willingly to where he was led, knowing that in any fight he would definitely loose against all the clones. There was a large, Plexiglass box with a control panel near by on a stand. The box was simple, with what looked to be a shower head at the top and a drain on the floor. Hands roughly pushed him into the box, and the Plexiglass door slid shut with a bang. A lock was turned.

The original Mumbo walked over with a bounce in his stride, obviously happy to see the leader of the Titans at his mercy. Once at the control panel, he tapped in a simple code. The showerhead made a gurgling noise and a thin, dark gas began to fill the box, blocking out the light. Robin held his breath, but the gas kept coming. He refused to cry out, even as it stung his flesh. His eyes watered as the gas hit them. He felt nauseous. He had to get out! Robin couldn't hold his breath any longer. Coughing racked his chest and he felt lightheaded, suddenly very dizzy. Robin closed his eyes. Just for a moment, he told himself. Just a moment….

Just minutes later, he awoke. He was strapped down to a wooden table by metal chains. Mumbo Jumbo was looming over him, smiling evilly. A Mumbo clone was wheeling away a metal contraption from the crude operating table.

"Rise, my friend," Mumbo commanded.

He rose. He was a Mumbo Jumbo clone.

"What is your name?" Mumbo asked.

"I am Mumbo Jumbo, Master," answered the voice of Robin.

**A.N.** There ya go. Chapter 5. Want to know what happens next? There's only one way to find out. Look out for chapter 6, coming at you soon.

But before that, make sure you review! I love hearing from people with something to say about my writing. It just makes me feel all happy inside.


	6. Deception and Scheming

**Last Act**

**Chapter 6 – Deception and Scheming**

Raven and Beast Boy traveled quickly. The sooner they figured out what was happening, the better. Maybe there was still time to save their friends. There just had to be; they were the Teen Titans. There wasn't a villain they couldn't take down, or an obstacle they couldn't overcome, including this one.

"Raven?"

"What?" she replied primly, keeping up her rapid step.

"I just wanted to say... thanks."

"For what?"

"For being nice to me even though you hate me."

"Hate you?" Raven stopped walking suddenly and peered down at the shape shifter, cocking one eyebrow. "Who says I hate you?"

"Well," the changeling fidgeted. "You never laugh at my jokes or anything, and you're always glaring at me, or threatening to barbeque me and feed me to poodles or something."

Raven sighed. "No, Beast Boy. I don't hate you," she replied after a moment.

Beast Boy grinned broadly.

"Thanks. Well, I just wanted to clear that up. Ya know, in case we die," he said.

Raven glared at him.

"Don't talk like that," she demanded. "We are going to get out of this. All of us are."

TT

Deep underground in the secret room of the theater basement, the original Mumbo was briefing his newest addition to the clone throng, Robin.

"We'll wait until they're apart, then retrieve the strong one for me. The other will be easy to catch when she is out of the way. After all five Teen Titans belong to my army, there will be no one stopping me. You know what to do?"

"Yes, Master," the clone said with a slight bow. He left the secret chamber.

TT

"The trapdoor should be around here, Beast Boy," Raven said. "Help me find it."

"Fine. Are you sure it's this hall?"

"Pretty sure. Or maybe it's the next… it's kind of hard to tell when they're identical. You start at this end, I'll begin at the other."

"Aye aye, Cap'n!" Beast Boy said with a salute before hurrying away.

TT

Mumbo-Robin saw his chance. He coughed, not too loudly, but so that he knew Raven could just hear him. He was right. He heard Raven stop moving, and knew her ears were straining to locate the source. She was listening. Good. Another cough. She shined her flashlight his way, but he was hidden behind the next corner. The light did not catch him.

"Who's there?" Raven called quietly.

"Raven? Is that you? It's Robin!" the clone responded in barely more than a whisper.

"Robin, what happened to you?" she asked, beginning to step towards Robin.

"Raven, stop!" he cried sharply.

"What? What's wrong?" she inquired, halting. His harsh tone scared her.

"I, uh, think there might be some clones behind me. Turn off the light."

Raven hesitated then obeyed. The flashlight was flicked off, and she began to step towards him again.

"I think I might have found Starfire and Cyborg. Come with me."

He felt her hand brush his side. He quickly stepped away. "Don't do that!" he ordered.

Raven gasped. What was wrong with him? He wasn't normally so angry sounding.

"Just follow my voice," the clone began a bit more gently.

Raven, again, complied. They stepped around another bend in the hallway and he stopped. Quickly, he wheeled around, clamping one hand over her mouth and struggling to restrain both her arms with the other. Raven shrieked in surprise, trying to free herself from the steely grasp of her captor.

She had been caught completely off-guard! Was this Robin? She was so tired of being mislead, so tired of not understanding. She brought her hand to Robin's head, feeling his hair. She screamed again. It wasn't Robin. It was… Mumbo Jumbo.

Beast Boy turned at the sound of the empath's yell.

"Raven, I'm coming!" he shouted, turning. He sprinted up the long corridor that separated them, rounded a corner, and shined the flashlight across the struggling people. He immediately identified Raven, but who was that she was being held by?

Mumbo! Or one of them, at least. He was a bit hard to recognize without his usual black top hat covering his thinning white hair.

Setting down the flashlight but leaving it on and pointed at the fight so he could see, he changeling morphed into a snake, and quickly slithered to join the fray. He sunk his fangs into the Mumbo's ankle. He heard a loud yelp, but it sounded like Raven, not the clone.

"That was me, idiot," he heard her hiss. Raven felt the thin trickle of blood make its way down her ankle, and prayed to God that Beast Boy wasn't venomous.

He would have apologized, but in the interest of conserving time, changed into a bear and ascended on who he was sure was Mumbo. Grabbing him around the waist, he flung the clone against a wall, before changing into a tiger and growling deeply, ready to pounce on the enemy.

"Stop! I surrender," the clone said, raising a hand in defeat, apparently not too eager to be attacked by a gigantic, growling tiger.

Beast Boy remained as a tiger, not sure the clone wouldn't attack if he reassumed his lanky, human form. But what really confused him was that he recognized the voice, and it wasn't Mumbo Jumbo's. It was Robin's,

"Who are you?" Raven asked angrily.

"I am Mumbo," the clone replied in monotone.

Beast Boy assumed his human form once again.

"Dude, but your voice sounds like Robin," Beast Boy said.

"That's how he fooled me," Raven told him, anger rising.

TT

To Robin, it was like being inside of a dream. He was fully aware of what was happening around him, but he was unable to move, talk, or even think.

He was also aware that the body he inhabited looked foreign, but it was his. Its looks had been changed, and another being was currently controlling it, but he ultimately owned it. That much he knew, even subconsciously. Robin struggled to take control, but was unable, not knowing what he could do. He felt so utterly helpless. He wanted to cry out, to tell his friends to run, to save themselves, but Robin couldn't. All he could do was watch.

TT

Raven was confused. She chanted her mantra and felt in the direction the clone was sitting in, straining to detect an aura that would show if Robin was near. She felt… nothing. Like the being was dead. It had to be just another, regular clone. Another shell of a servant without emotions, a mind, or a soul.

Then she felt it. An aura so feeble, so light, that it only lasted a moment. But it was one of angst, one of worry and fear. Hidden away, tucked behind physical sight, she knew Robin was in that body. It had to be; no clone was capable of showing emotion.

"Beast Boy?" she said.

The tiger briefly averted his eyes from the clone to Raven, telling her he was listening.

"I think that's somehow Robin. I can sense him." Not waiting for a response, she began to step towards the clone. It was still sitting where it had been thrown, eyeing the approaching girl carefully. "Robin? If you can hear me, give me a sign."

TT

Robin could die. He heard Raven calling, but could not answer. He could not do anything. Struggling, he pushed himself to control the body, to regain what was rightfully his, but to no avail.

TT

"You don't know what you're talking about. I am Mumbo. Robin is dead." The clone said, without a trace of emotion.

"Dead! He can't be dead!" Beast Boy cried.

"That's a lie!" Raven angrily insisted. Kneeling by the clone, she laid a hand on its shoulder. It tried to draw back, but she wouldn't let it. She tightened her grip. Now it was stronger than ever, the feelings she knew belonged to Robin intensified as she touched him.

She stared into the eye of the Mumbo clone, willing Robin to respond, to show a sign that he was present.

TT

Robin knew Raven was trying to find him, trying to communicate with him. But it wasn't working. He was still as powerless to respond as ever. He couldn't comprehend the words she spoke, but Robin could read it in her eyes. Emotion that she so rarely expressed filled them.

TT

"He can't respond," Raven said, voice wavering slightly. She turned to face the bewildered Beast Boy, who still didn't know why she was so sure that this was Robin or why this stoic, creepy even, dark teen was suddenly emotional when she would hardly crack a smile any other day.

Confused, Beast Boy asked, "Is that... is that really Robin?"

"I'm certain," she responded quietly, "But he's powerless. His soul is there, he just can't respond."

She sighed, and tried to talk directly to Robin again. "I know you're in there. I just know it. Please try, Robin, try hard to control it. I know you can. I believe in you."

With that, she bent, cupped the clone's chin in her hand, and kissed him.

TT

Robin could sense the power she shared surge through his being. He was filled with new hope, if he only knew how to channel it. 'This is my body,' he willed fervently, straining to take control.

He knew the clone was pulling away, trying to shake away Robin's source of power.

No! He had to find his own power, his authority over the body again. He felt her love, so intimate and strong, and knew he just couldn't lose with her fighting for him. He would not let Raven down.

Robin collected every ounce of everything he could muster in his being, and concentrated it on the sole purpose of gaining the control of the clone.

He felt… he felt! He could feel. He felt Raven's kiss, and that was enough.

He had thoughts, and although he knew his physical body was still different, he had control over its mind, at least temporarily.

Raven sensed his joy, and pulled away. He felt the new control fading, his ability leaving him again. Again mustering all he could, he took hold of the empath's wrist. The power, although weaker, plateaued again.

Raven glanced at Beast Boy.

"Raven, that was the most disgusting thing I have ever seen you do," he said slowly, enunciating each word, then, more align with his character cried, "EEEWWW!"

"Oh shut up. It was the only way to reach him," she told the changeling, then refocused her attention to Robin. "Robin? Can you hear me now?"

It took Robin longer than usual to format the simple sentence in his head, but he was certainly grateful for any sort of speech he had. "Yes, Raven. Thank you."

"That's what friends are for," she replied with a tiny grin. "Now, you need to explain a few things to me. Tell me what happened."

Raven and Beast Boy waited for him to begin, which took some time. Robin knew the clone part of this being he currently shared was not actually alive, but it was warring for dominance all the same. He had to struggle to suppress it, knowing for a fact that the only way he could was through the help of Raven's power.

Robin spoke simply and slowly. "I went through the trapdoor and saw Mumbo and his army. A clone with Starfire's voice captured me. I was put in a case and was knocked out. I awoke on an operating table. I had this body and could not control it." The talking had exhausted him. He sighed, tiring visibly. The clone was winning the battle now, and every second of control did not go by without great effort.

Raven saw his quite visible fatigue. "Robin, you are weak. I need to think. I need you to let go of me now, but I'll help you be strong when you need to be. I promise."

He was reluctant to release her wrist and relinquish his power to the putrid clone, but did so in trust of her promise. As he let go, he felt his power slip away rapidly, until he reassumed his dreamlike semi-consciousness.

TT

Raven turned and sighed. She knew the clone was back in charge, at least for now, and she suspended poor Robin in a black force field bubble a foot off the ground so he wouldn't get away.

"Raven kissed an old guy, Raven kissed an old guy," BB chanted.

"Grow up, will you?" Raven admonished.

"That was totally pukatronic," he said, ignoring her comment, then sobered slightly and added, "But sorry for biting you."

Raven nodded "From what Robin said, we can assume that all these clones walking around are actually people Mumbo kidnapped and changed into copies of himself. I'm sure the other Titans could vouch for that, but I'll be dammed if I'm going to kiss Starfire or Cyborg." Her nose wrinkled slightly at the mere thought. "Now the problem is, how do we reverse this effect?"

Beast Boy tapped his chin thoughtfully. He walked to pick up the flashlight, so they could see a bit better. "Ooh, ooh I know!" he cried suddenly. "Dude, Robin said something about Mumbo giving him surgery or somethin', right?"

"He mentioned an operating table," Raven agreed slowly, crossing her arms.

"So why don't we just reverse that thingie and all the people will go back to normal!" He gave a huge grin, like he had just figured out the meaning of life.

"Beast Boy, you're a genius," Raven replied sarcastically, rolling her eyes, "To bad you skipped over a few minor details, like how the heck is the operation done? We couldn't figure that out, and why would Mumbo agree to reverse the process?"

Beast Boy's smile deflated. "We could threaten him?" he suggested meekly.

Raven mulled that over. "Actually, Beast Boy, you might have something there."

The gigantic smile reappeared on his face.

"But how to go about that… we could turn the clones against him, but that would be nearly impossible…"

"Not to mention you'd have to kiss a whole lotta old guys," Beast Boy added helpfully.

Raven ignored him. "And if we can't actually turn the clones, we could make him believe that using only Robin... No! That wouldn't work…" Raven continued to think aloud, mumbling under her breath. Beast Boy was standing by, but not knowing how to contribute, and having no more brilliant ideas, contented himself with casting bunny and dog shadows on the walls using the flashlight and his hand.

Raven glared at him, and he stopped. "I have an idea. We'll…" she glanced at the changeling, "I don't know why I'm saying 'we.' Why don't I just go do this and leave you to your shadow pictures?"

"No, Raven!" he whined, "I want to help."

"Well, you could go get the police for me," she said, hoping he wouldn't notice the fact that she could easily do the same with a press of a button from her communicator.

"Ok, I could do that," he smiled.

"Good boy. Have them wait near the back. Tell them to be quiet; I don't want Mumbo knowing what you're up to."

Beast Boy agreed to the task and used his communicator to guide himself to an exit.

"It's show time, Robin," Raven said with a grin, letting him down from his transparent, dark confines. She leaned down and kissed him again.

**A.N.** Ladies and gentlemen, chapter six. If you could spare just a moment more of your time, I'd be thrilled if you reviewed!


	7. Last Act

**Last Act**

**Chapter 7 – Last Act**

After kissing the clone, Raven drew back, again, sensing Robin's aura.

Yes, it sickened her to do what she did, because the body in fact did look like the ugly old nemesis of the Titans, but Raven knew it was the only way to combat the clone's control over the mind of the body.

The struggle was easier for Robin this time. He knew what he had to do. Robin directed all he had into taking over the body's power, allowing Raven's own power to supplement his own.

Robin emerged again and regained his senses, as well as his ability to move and think.

"Raven," he said, smiling weakly.

"You need to listen," Raven replied seriously, "I have a plan, but we have to act fast. Mumbo isn't going to stick around here forever, and we can be sure that he'll try to get away if he finds out about this."

Raven went through the strategy with Robin, thoroughly explaining it so he wouldn't waste his effort in asking questions. When they had finished the planning, it was time to put the idea into action. Raven assumed that Beast Boy was at least to the Police Station, if they weren't already on their way to the theater.

"You ready?" Raven asked. Robin nodded.

TT

The secret entrance was opened swiftly, and Robin threw back the wooden trapdoor, not caring if it clattered noisily against the wall. He held Raven's forearm tightly, and shoved her in ahead of himself.

"Mumbo, I've caught the strong one," he said in monotone, walking into the musty, large room, lifting the arm he held her by as if to prove he had a firm grasp on her.

At least sixty-two eyes peered at them, from the thirty plus Mumbo clones and Mumbo Jumbo himself.

Raven struggled against his grip. "Let me go, you mindless demon!" she cried, beating him with her free arm.

Robin hit her arm swiftly and she drew it back protectively. Either he had greatly underestimated her acting skills again, or he had actually hurt her.

"Excellent," Mumbo Jumbo cackled. "Quickly, to the chamber! We're getting out of here soon. The green one is gone now, probably calling for help. It won't be long before the theater is crawling with cops."

Robin jerked Raven over to the chamber. "You'll never get away with this!" Raven promised, grimacing inwardly at sounding so clichéd.

Robin pushed his friend into the chamber. They had run into a problem. To close the door, Robin would need to let go of her arm. His control would be gone, and Raven would actually be turned into a clone. Their eyes met briefly, and they knew they were thinking of the same issue.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Mumbo asked, patience wearing thin. He tapped a black shoe on the ground. "Lock the chamber and turn it on!"

"I… can't." Robin said, trying vainly to come up with a believable excuse. He swallowed nervously. "She'll… break free if I let go."

Raven prayed that Mumbo wouldn't realize the huge blunder the Boy Wonder had made.

Mumbo scowled deeply. He walked quickly to the chamber. "Let go of her, you fool! She can't get away now," he promised.

Raven saw her chance. She broke free of Robin's grasp, shoving the door open and lunging out of the way of Mumbo. She shoved Mumbo Jumbo, sending him falling to the ground in front of the chamber. Robin picked him up and no less than threw him into the box, causing Mumbo to land hard on his head. Raven wondered if his bones were brittle like a regular old man's, but decided they were not as the impact didn't seem to have seriously injured the evil man a bit.

He scrambled to his feet, but Raven slammed the Plexiglass door, turning the locks quickly. She held a palm to them one at a time, and her hand briefly glowed a dark blue as she melted the metals together, destroying the locks and keeping Mumbo captive.

"Clones, attack!" came the muffled voice of the old magician while he pounded on the wall with his fists.

They rose obediently and ran to save their leader.

Raven was in serious trouble, to say the least. The clones loomed over her, surrounding her on every side. Robin had lost his control again, and was among the throng of clones. She no longer knew which one he was.

"What are you waiting for?" Mumbo shrieked. "Destroy her!"

Raven was never one to run from her problems, but knowing she could not win, took the opportunity to phase through the floor.

After landing outside the room, Raven sank to the ground, cradling her head in her arms. 'Could I have been any more stupid?' Raven cursed herself. She had just lost her one chance. Now she knew why she was not the leader of the Titans. A good leader needs to be able to come up with good ideas. Ideas that don't get your best friend turned back into an evil clone and alert an army of Mumbo Jumbos that you're onto their plan.

Raven refused to leave three of her friends so disabled. She decided that she had to turn back, had to fight no matter if it got her changed into a clone too.

Raven took a deep breath, collected her thoughts, and phased through the floor again.

Raven appeared through floor, this time on the opposite side of the musty room. Her eyes glowed white as she chanted her mantra, "Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" A dome of black energy suddenly surrounded the clones. She was relieved to find that they had still been struggling with to free their master when she returned to the room. He was still trapped in the box.

Raven would have thrown the vile creatures across the room, but remembered that the group was just a few of her friends tangled in the bunch of innocent civilians, underneath the evil facade. She pushed them to one side of the room, carefully keeping up the field around them.

"Mumbo," she snarled, eyes still glowing, ablaze with hatred and power.

The evil magician seemed to shrink back against one of the Plexiglass sides, suddenly grateful for the wall that separated him from the crazed girl.

"I'll give you one chance to fix my friends and all these other people before I crush you like the vermin you are."

"Never! That's not fair," he whined, "Even if I help you, you'll just turn me in to the cops anyway."

Raven smiled internally. This was good. The magician was already on the defensive. He had hopefully already given up on the notion that he would escape with the clones, much less carry out his plan for world domination.

"The theater is already surrounded with Police," Raven said. She didn't know if that was a lie or not, but she felt it was worth the possible stretch of truth. "Fix everyone, and I'll make sure you only get prison for life."

Mumbo scowled deeply. It was a lose-lose situation for him now. Escaping was the only chance he had. At least sixty of his other clones were still hidden in another location. Maybe he could take up another alias and continue the show somewhere else….

"Fine. I'll return your pathetic friends and the civilians to their normal selves." He mumbled.

Raven was surprised. She didn't expect him to give up so quickly. She expected a trick. "If you try anything funny, I'll send you to another dimension," she promised.

Mumbo gulped but agreed. Raven raised a hand and cut the box in half with a whip of dark, crackling energy, making sure it was severed enough so that the chamber could not be used again. The man jumped out, and Raven turned to him, watching his every move with scrutiny.

Keeping a close watch on the magician, she walked to where the clones were being held. A small break appeared in the force field, and she allowed one clone to walk through.

The clones looked terrified enough to obey her, but taking no risks, Raven carefully led the clone to Mumbo by the wrist.

"Well?" she asked impatiently. "Aren't you going to keep your promise?"

Mumbo tapped a key on the same panel that controlled the gas chamber. The far wall slid open to reveal a small, hidden chamber. There was the table Robin had described, with chains for securing the victims arms and legs. Keeping the magician ahead of her, Raven led the clone to the room.

The clone sat down willingly on the table and Mumbo secured its arms and legs

"You may begin," Raven said icily.

Mumbo looked a bit confused. "See, I've never actually reversed the process before…"

"You don't know how?" Raven asked, anger in her voice.

"It should just take a little tinkering," he promised, raising a skinny arm in defense.

TT

A half hour later, the clone was still being operated on. Its body was covered with a black tarp, and its head was in a shiny metal box that hummed slightly.

"And that should do it!" Mumbo proclaimed. "Abracadabra!" he cried, pulling away the tarp with a flourish. There lay an unconscious girl, maybe eight years old, clad in a hospital-like gown.

"You kidnapped children?" Raven asked through clenched teeth.

Mumbo didn't reply, and did not meet her furious gaze.

"How did you do that?" she asked, anger still present, "How did you change her back to normal?"

Mumbo grinned. "A good magician never reveals his secrets," he said. Raven rolled her eyes. It had to be witchcraft. Nothing less than witchcraft could explain the transformation.

"When will she wake up?" Raven asked, motioning to the poor girl. In reply, Mumbo retrieved a water bottle and dumped half of its contents on the unconscious girl's face. After a moment, her eyelids began to flutter slightly and she sputtered a bit, spitting the water from her mouth. Her eyes opened groggily, and Raven bit her lip, praying everything was back to normal in the little girl's mind.

Panic set into the tiny face. Her eyes widened dramatically, and tears began to flow. "Where am I?" she cried, struggling at the chains that bound her.

Raven cast a furious look at Mumbo, who was vainly trying to hide a hint of guilt that clouded over his face. With one swift motion, Raven released the girl from the chains.

Mumbo motioned to a pile of clothes in one corner. "Look through those," he said. When the little girl found her clothing, she hastily pulled on the pants and pulled her jacket over the hospital-style gown. Raven led the poor child out from the room in her arms, walking in a second Mumbo clone.

Twenty minutes later, a man walked out from the room, looking just as dazed and confused as the little girl. Keeping Mumbo under watch, she led the two out of the basement and to the waiting police.

"This is going to be a long day," Raven thought to herself with a groan, and led the third clone to the operating room.

TT

It wasn't until the fourteenth clone was restored to normal before her first friend returned. It was Starfire.

"Ooh, I believe I have a terrible ache of the head," the alien said, before wrapping the empath in a rib-crushing hug. "But it is so wonderful to see you again my friend!"

"I'm glad you're alright, Star," the dark girl replied.

"Oh Raven, being a clone of the Mumbo Jumbo was such a strange experience! I was not able to do any of the things that I normally can. It was like a horrible nightmare!" the alien shared, wringing her hands in front of herself in remembrance of the traumatic event.

Raven nodded. "At least it's over now, Starfire."

The alien smiled. "Yes, it is finally over."

The twentieth clone turned out to be Cyborg. He wrapped both girls in a bear hug as soon as he was able to walk out of the chamber. "Man, it's great to see you guys!" he said, and proceeded to begin relaying the experience from his perspective.

He went to find Beast Boy, who clomped down the staircase to the basement moments later. The first thing he did was change into a small green kitty and jump into Raven's arms. He purred and nuzzled stomach. "It's nice to see you too, Beast Boy," she said, tossing the cat to Starfire.

Beast Boy had to return to human form to avoid from every bone in his little body being broken by the force of the fierce embrace Star gave him. "Oh Beast Boy!" Starfire cried, "I am elated to see you again! Raven has told us that you were the one who fetched the Police!"

The changeling beamed. "Yep, I don't want to brag, but I did save the day."

An eternity seemed to pass before the second to last clone emerged from its operation. Robin stepped through the doorway with a grin. "Hey guys," he said nonchalantly, as if he had just come back from a walk in the park.

Before anything else, Robin had Raven describe her brief battle with Mumbo that convinced him to return the clones back into their normal states. Beast Boy described his trip to the Police Station, and Raven rolled her eyes, but let him soak up the praise for his 'daring mission' nevertheless.

The final clone had been in operation for a while. Nearly forty minutes had passed. Raven phased through the door for a moment, before returning with a look of alarm on her face. She opened the door and her friends followed her inside.

"He's gone," Robin said, stating the obvious.

On the operation table was the final person, returned to normal but unconscious. Mumbo was nowhere to be seen.

"The villain Mumbo Jumbo has tricked us!" the alien girl cried in anger.

"Yeah, but where did he go?" Beast Boy asked, looking under the table. They had been guarding the only door out the entire time.

"I gotta hand it to the guy," Cyborg admitted, scratching his head, "The man's got serious magic skills."

TT

It had been a very long day. Nearly seventeen hours had passed since the Titans had eaten or been at the Tower, but the abductees were on their way home, and a statewide Police watch was set up to be on the look out for Mumbo.

"My friends," Starfire began, as soon as they had entered the Tower, "We should celebrate this joyous occasion!"

"Over sixty people are still missing, and Mumbo got away," Raven replied sadly.

"But we are safe, and thanks to you over thirty people are back to their normal lives," Robin told her, putting a gloved hand on her shoulder. "And that is a reason to celebrate."

Raven had to agree.

"Most glorious!" Starfire cried, "I propose that we order a large pizza with celery and blueberries!"

"Uh, how about I just make spare ribs instead?" Cyborg asked.

"No way dude, I'm making tofu stir fry!" the changeling insisted, crossing his arms over his chest.

"We could just go out for Chinese food," Cy offered. Star and BB agreed.

""I'll just have some tea here," Raven told them, already walking out of the room to fetch the teapot. It had been a very long day for her especially, trying to keep up a force field for multiple hours at one time in addition to all the fighting and worry and panic.

"Yeah, I should do some paperwork on this, but you guys go ahead," Robin called, walking for his room.

The remaining three Titans agreed and left for the T-Car.

TT

Raven was sitting at a table, stirring her tea. It was dark outside, but she found herself staring out the window, looking up at the hazy stars. She sighed.

"Mind if I join you?" asked Robin walking through one of the electronic doors.

Raven accidentally stabbed her teabag with the stirring spoon, sending little brown flecks of tealeaves floating to the surface. "Sure," Raven said quietly. After she had kissed him twice over the last day, she felt a bit uncomfortable talking to him. She had not meditated since, and was feeling more than a bit unstable. "Robin, when I kissed you, you know it was because I had to, right?" Raven asked tentatively.

"I know, Raven," the Boy Wonder told her with a little smile. He sat down beside her. "I just wanted to tell you, I really appreciate all that you did. I mean, if it weren't for you, I'd still be stuck as a clone of an enemy, probably on my way to take over a city."

Raven grinned slightly. "You're welcome."

Robin looked her in the eyes, and reached out a strong hand to rest on one of her tiny pale ones. One of the kitchen lights exploded behind them.

"We'll find those missing people, Rae, I promise," Robin said seriously.

"I know, Robin."

The Boy Wonder moved close to Raven, lifting a gloved hand to brush back her hair. He leaned in close to her and kissed the surprised empath. Raven closed her eyes. The teapot began to rattle, threatening to explode and shower them with hot water. Raven broke away. "It's late. I should go," she insisted, abruptly standing and striding over to the sink to pour out her ruined tea. "Robin, I-" her voice faltered, as she searched for the right words. "When you were trapped in the body of the clone, I was so…"

Robin rose and took her hand in his. "So what?" he asked gently.

"So… scared that I would never see you again. I couldn't stand losing you," she said quietly.

Robin chuckled. "You're never going to lose me, Raven." He said softly. Raven smiled gently. She kissed him lightly on the lips before bidding him good night and leaving the room.

**A.N.** And that concludes my first multi-chapter story. I'll probably add an epilogue soon.

I hope you liked it!


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